Storm Otto, which was named by the Danish Meteorological Institute, hit Scotland and north-east England last Friday (February 17 2023) with wind gusts of over 80mph, disrupting power to 61,000…Read More >
meteorology
Why forecasting snow is so difficult in the UK
Cold winter weather in the UK almost always brings with it talk of snow. British people tend to approach weather forecasts of snow with a combination of excitement and trepidation….Read More >
Britain’s notoriously wet and cold climate is changing – you won’t like what replaces it
The UK had the driest start to a year since the 1970s in 2022, with large parts of southern England receiving less than 50% of their normal winter rainfall. On top of…Read More >
Too hot to sleep? Nights are warming faster than days as Earth heats up
Sleeping at the height of summer can sometimes feel impossible. And with gruelling heatwaves becoming more common, the nights can be sweltering, with no cooling breeze to relieve the discomfort. At…Read More >
What is the World Climate Research Programme and why do we need it?
My schedule last week was rather awry. Over four days I took part in a meeting of 50 or so climate scientists from around the world. Because of the need…Read More >
‘Expect the unexpected’: Extreme weather is creating the perfect storm for risk contagion
So, you’ve stocked the freezer with ice cubes, shut the windows and curtains, and cancelled your exercise class, are you now fully prepared for the extreme heatwave? Of course, there’s…Read More >
Heatwave Britain hits 40.3°C – here’s how scientists know when a temperature record has been broken
The UK has experienced its hottest day on record, as provisional data showed the temperature soared to 40.3°C at Coningsby in Lincolnshire. This surpassed the previous record of 38.7°C set in Cambridge…Read More >
Heatwave: why extreme weather forecasts have improved so much
The UK has recorded its hottest ever temperature, passing 40℃ for the first time. But you can’t deny it had fair warning. The Met Office issued an amber weather warning six…Read More >
Climate change from the global to the local: celebrating the team of unsung heroes behind our award-winning research
The University has been honoured with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize – considered to be the highest national honour in higher and further education – for our work on Tackling the…Read More >
Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier: how its collapse could trigger global floods and swallow islands
The massive Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by 65cm if it were to completely collapse. And, worryingly, recent research suggests that its…Read More >